I'm writing this post Thursday night knowing I won't post it until Friday morning. Not that it's really important, but I thought I'd share.
I'm doing laundry tonight. And I just realized that I will soon be out of Dreft. That makes me sad. I love the smell of Dreft. I won't buy another bottle. It's only for the babies, and I don't have one anymore. B.B. is pushing 18 months and on principal, that means his laundry will soon be done with the family laundry.
My mom occasionally buys Dreft to wash her sheets and towels just for the smell. I've tried that, but it just isn't the same. I want to pull a blanket-weight, footed sleeper out of the drawer, hold it up to my face and take a deep breath. I want to wash my baby up with Johnson & Johnson's Baby Wash. I want to wrap him up in a towel warm from the dryer. I want to rub him down with Johnson & Johnson's Baby Lotion. I want to bundle him into his Dreft clean pajamas, snuggle down in the recliner, and smell his downy soft hair until I'm light headed.
I read somewhere that a woman's sense of smell is 40% stronger than a man's. I'm not sure if that's true, but I do know I pick up on scents much faster than Husband. I also read that the sense of smell is tied to memory stronger than any other sense (I read it before they put it in those stupid Old Spice commercials). I believe that whole heartedly.
When Baby Girl was around a year old I was in the shower and had the strongest flash of being in the hospital after she was born. It took me a while to figure out that I was using a new bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. They were the same brands I had taken in travel sizes to the hospital. If I closed my eyes, I was right back in that shower in the delivery room. I had the same rush of euphoria and fear I experienced the day she was born.
Today I was in the check out line in the store and I smelled Tabu. I looked around just sure my grandmother was there. She's always worn Tabu. Even if she stopped wearing it she'd still smell like it. It's part of her body chemistry now.
Every time I smell cherry Kool-Aid I think of Did. One summer we dyed her hair with cherry Kool-Aid in my bathroom sink. She got grounded; I had arms red to the elbow for 3 days.
Avon bubble bath makes me think of the first summer I lived with Art. Her Aunt sold Avon and Art would buy bottle upon bottle of bubble bath to use in our giant claw footed tub. We were pruny most of that summer.
Maybe I'll break down and buy another bottle of Dreft just to prolong B.B.'s babyhood, but deep down I know it just won't be the same.
6 comments:
You forgot to mention that the kool-aid didn't even dye my hair - it just stained my scalp. It was two days before my mom saw my head and grounded me. I argued that my hair didn't change color, but the principle of the matter was that I had tried to dye my hair when it was forbidden.
Everytime I smell Sunripened Rasberry from Bath and Body Works or Herbal Essence I think of you.
I whole-heartedly agree on the smell thing. Everytime I smell wood fires I get happy - so many happy bon fires at the L household. And the smells and temperatur of October always takes me back to parking lots and parks.
There must be something very powerful in baby scent. I remember my otherwise reasonably sane brother-in-law holding out his new little girl to me and excitedly saying the weirdest thing I had ever heard come out of his mouth - "you've got to smell her head!" I really didn't smell anything amazing but he and my sister would sniff poor little Ses's head all the time. They did the same thing when Beth was born. It was very strange to an outside observer. But I'm sure I will do the same some day.
Cherry Koolaid and peanut butter on wonder bread reminds me of summers visiting my grandparents.
Once you stop with the dreft, pick up a bottle of Mr. Bubble-- it's original scent reminds me of being a kid too...
....don't shoot me for saying this....but one could always add a baby to prolong the need for Dreft and J & J bath products.....and no, your husband didn't pay me to say that..... =)
I must admit this last week I sniffed a defenseless newborn. I couldn't help it. Not even a week old and so small and sweet. I held him in my arms for just moments, and pulled him close to my face. I closed my eyes and just inhaled. Don't know what his mom thought of that, but it was beyond my control. I'm sure of it. I miss babies.
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